Lawyers Brace For Spike In DUI Cases With New Laws

LAWYERS BRACE FOR SPIKE IN DUI CASES WITH NEW LAWS Robbie Sherwood, The Arizona Republic; Republic writer Brent Whiting contributed to this article.

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When drunken-driving laws get tough, lawyers for suspected drunken-drivers get going.

"When you increase the stakes, you are going to have a lot more people who want to fight the case," said Tempe attorney Craig Penrod, who has specialized in drunken-driving cases for more than 20 years.

"If you're facing 10 days in jail and installation of an interlock device on your car," he said, "you aren't just going to walk in and plead guilty."

On Aug. 31 the blood alcohol standard for driving under the influence will drop to 0.08 percent from 0.10. The standard for extreme drunken driving has already been lowered to 0.15 percent from 0.18, increasing the number of suspects who face mandatory jail time and suspension of their driver's license for up to a year.